The JTrain Podcast: “Being Particular Is Hot” with Alison Leiby

Chit Chat Wednesday – November 12, 2025
Host: Jared Freid
Guest: Alison Leiby

Episode Overview

On this Chit Chat Wednesday edition of The JTrain Podcast, host Jared Freid welcomes comedian, writer, and “culture expert” Alison Leiby for a breezy, playful conversation. Together, they explore food obsessions, the art of being “particular” (and why it’s actually attractive), office and social culture, and the changing landscape of social media and internet culture. With digressions about nachos, baked potatoes, Vietnamese pho, and why having opinions makes you sexy, this episode serves up the kind of fun, relatable banter that scratches that “I-just-want-to-hang-out” itch.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Darkness of Early Winter and Work-From-Home Culture

[00:01–03:01]

• Alison remarks how early sunsets now feel more oppressive, especially since working from home:

  “I'm just at home watching the sun slowly go down, like, and then I'm like, oh, I'm not gonna leave my house now. It's 4:30.” ([01:39])

• Both discuss how, in office days, darkness didn’t affect them as much—they were out already, now they watch the daylight disappear from home.

2. Comedy Consulting for ‘Normal’ People

[03:11–04:41]

• The pair joke about starting a service where comedians coach average people on office interactions—supplying zingers or conversation starters, but nothing “roast”-level.
• Alison admits she’d need to know all the office “dirt”… and maybe peek in everyone’s homes out of curiosity.

3. Food Obsessions: Baked Potatoes, Nachos, the Art of Toppings

[05:45–11:01]

• Alison’s favorite food season: “It’s baked potato season, baby. Like, I love a baked potato.” ([05:58])
• Jared laments that the real baked potato cost is in the toppings and clean-up.
• Alison describes her nacho process: “I wanna put stuff in little bowls and then be in charge of garnishing this thing in the way that I would like.” ([07:05])
• They discuss the steak-in-nachos dilemma—small dice is essential or else it’s “a tough bite.” ([08:12])
• Philosophy of “bowl culture”: they debate the trend where every meal is served in a single, pre-mixed bowl—Alison calls it “a baby’s meal.” ([10:42])

4. The Nacho Deep Dive: Building the Ultimate Nacho Salad

[12:32–20:32]

• Detailed walk-through of Alison’s group nacho night:
  • Layered chips, cheese, beans cooked in steak juice, toppings on the side.
  • Alison invents the “nacho salad”:

    “We were making bowls basically, where we, like lined the bottom with nachos and then like, put all the toppings and the slaw on top and we're eating it like we called it nacho salad.” ([19:19])

• Her key trick: acidic cabbage slaw for freshness; “I don't want a creamy slaw. I need an acidic slaw. No, every time.” ([18:46])
• Jared observes:

  “Nachos... straddles the line between appetizer and main. It's neither.” ([19:54])

5. Food as Identity and Volume Eating

[21:19–23:08]

• Jared confesses he’s a “volume eater”: wants to eat a lot but not feel like one.
• The psychology of eating—planning the next serving while still eating.
• Ozempic (“food thoughts” suppressant) comes up:

  “If you're thinking of what you're going to eat while you're eating something, you probably need [it].” ([22:26])

6. Cabbage and the Redemption of “Low-Status” Foods

[23:28–25:34]

• Alison and Jared reminisce about negative branding of cabbage—now it’s cool, thanks to the internet:

  “If you think of like, what did the Internet improve? ... It really took a lot of foods out of retirement.” ([24:40])

• TikTok has made vegetable cookery cool again; Alison notes the rise of simple veggie inspiration.

7. Social Media, The Algorithm, and How We Relate to Content

[26:21–31:03]

• Both bemoan “fetishization” and disconnected responses online:
  • Alison: “So much of what's on the Internet is a fetish that I don't understand.” ([25:46])
  • Jared: “[It] feels to get the response anymore. Like there's a lot of response that is like I'm being talked about while I'm in the room.” ([29:12])
• Discussion of how social media aggregates everything, versus the “golden age” of discrete websites.
• Alison: “Now you just go to like three places and it’s everything … There’s no perspective, there’s no taste.” ([27:45])
• Value of offline friends for a fresher perspective:

  “There should be single person 100. Like, there’s kids venues, but there’s no single person.” ([16:59])

8. Performing Live and Favorite Snack Bars in NYC

[34:51–38:13]

• Alison plugs her beloved pre-show bar, Blueprint, and its offerings (burrata “bruschetta” and roasted purple potatoes with creme fraiche dip).
• Her show at Union Hall: “Frankenstein’s Baby,” with a rotating host panel on Monday nights; atmosphere described as “a hang.”
• Jared notes:

  “That's like the perfect bar... that's a night planned, done.” ([37:54])

9. The Sexiness of Being Particular

[39:29–41:55]

• Jared shares his dad’s “put it under the broiler” dining philosophy—as a hand-me-down ‘taste’ that equates to sexiness:

  “You are now a more sexual being. You are now in the game of hottest person.” ([40:14])

• Alison agrees, being clear in your likes and dislikes is confidence:

  “Yeah, because you just, like, know what you like, and that hopefully extends to other corners of your life … And if I meet someone or I’m with somebody who has the same kind of approach … that’s … interesting.” ([40:21])

• Jared’s thesis: “Particular gets a bad rap. I think particular is, like, interesting.” ([41:04])
• They clarify the line: being particular ≠ being a nuisance.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On working from home and winter darkness:
  “We've become human sundials.” – Jared ([02:14])
• On food prep as an expression of personality:
  “I want it crispy, crispy, crispy on the outside. So I’m leaving that thing in there for like 90 minutes at 400.” – Alison ([07:04])
• On bowl culture:
  “That’s a baby’s meal. That’s what a baby eats.” – Alison ([10:42])
• On self-aware food choices:
  “Nachos...straddles the line between appetizer and main. It's neither.” – Jared ([19:54])
• On the internet redeeming foods:
  “If you think of like, what did the Internet improve?...it really took a lot of foods out of retirement.” – Jared ([24:40])
• On being particular as attractive:
  “You are now in the game of hottest person.” – Jared ([40:15])
  “I know when I sit at the bar, I know what I like to order... And if I meet someone...who has the same kind of approach, I hate when people are like, 'I don't know, what are you gonna get?'” – Alison ([40:21])

Key Timestamps

• 00:01–03:01: Early darkness and living through windows
• 05:45–11:01: Baked potato and nachos discussions
• 12:32–20:32: The anatomy of nacho night and nacho salad
• 21:19–23:08: Volume eating and the psychology behind it
• 23:28–25:34: Cabbage renaissance and how the internet changed food trends
• 26:21–31:03: Social media’s flattening of experience, “untapped” friends
• 34:51–38:13: Union Hall, the Blueprint bar, and cultivating “the hang”
• 39:29–41:55: Why being particular is actually hot

Conclusion

This Chit Chat Wednesday episode exemplifies the JTrain Podcast’s blend of humor, food nerdery, self-aware commentary on social and internet trends, and a hint of modern dating wisdom. Alison and Jared make a strong case that being particular—knowing what you like and having taste—isn’t just okay, it’s attractive and fun. Plus, you’ll walk away craving nachos, some acidic slaw, and maybe a group hang at Union Hall.